Kenneth Gustafson 3/22/1943 - 11/22/2018

Guest Blogger Dan Gustafson.  A tribute to my dad.

I am Dan Gustafson and from our family thank you for being here to celebrate my dad.

This all started with a young boy growing up in Cloquet, MN with a typical childhood.  A pet lamb named Billy running on the kitchen floor, his father and uncle teaching him to fix motorcycles in his parent’s basement and eventually moving to the cities.  A chance meeting at the Rusty Nail with my dad asking a pretty girl to dance, her polite decline, but then a conversation about the Valentine card he had received from his parents was enough to convince her to share the page number in the phone book where he could find her number.  Well he found it, and 47 years of marriage, 3 kids and 9 grandchildren later and here we are today celebrating the life of my dad.

I am proud to be my father’s son and I certainly take after my dad in a lot of ways.  He was not the most talkative and definitely not particularly fond of public speaking.  Jerry Seinfeld has a joke about the fear of public speaking being the most common fear and death being number two, meaning the average person would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.  For me a chance to share about how much my dad means to me is enough to overcome any fear of public speaking.  While my dad may have pondered the choice for a moment he would certainly choose to still be here because he wanted more time with his family and watching the grandchildren play and giggle and still had unfinished projects that he was working on.  As we went through the progression of doctor appointments, he did not fear death nor carry any feelings why is this happening to me or lose his sense of humor, his questions were how much time do I have left to spend with my family and will I be strong enough to work in my work shop.  With a likely Mesothelioma diagnosis upcoming, but still wanting to work on his current projects, at my mother’s insistence he would have to wear a dust mask to keep his lungs as healthy as possible and he did, safety first.  That is my dad in a nutshell, selfless and only asking about himself if it would affect his ability to have time with his family and help others.

The love my dad had for his family comes through in so many ways. One of the most evident is found in pictures. You will notice two things, he really likes to wear flannel, and more importantly he is often looking down at the child or grandchild he is with adoringly.

Being a man of few words, but overflowing with love for his family led dad to use his actions to show us his love.  I try to call my parents most days and when my dad would answer, my question for him was always what you are working on today.  He did not spend time with the usual retirement leisure activities of golf, reading, travel, he spent his time building and most often it was something requested by a child or grandchild. If you see it out there, take a look at his project book or even take a look in the nursery here at Northgate to see the ark he built for the church.  He would downplay his abilities, from his first lamps to recent massive projects, but he was so talented and creative with the design and building.  His projects fill our houses and almost without exception they are not painted.  Dad loved the look of wood, especially walnut, and his projects were made of solid wood and very sturdy.  The ongoing joke is the safest place in the event of a tornado is under a piece of dad’s furniture.  I am certain I have the only solid wood, unpainted, stained and finished bean bag boards that could also be used as storm shelter.  He really loved not only sharing his work with others, but also working with others.  When Krista and I bought a home that we wanted to remodel, he was on board and was even a little excited.  The Google Map pictures are updated about every 2-3 weeks and the picture of our house had his car in the driveway for about a year.  Some of my favorite memories were working with him on the house and his praise on doing a good job.  He helped with the remodel in so many ways including rewiring the house with me via Facetime as he was recovering from knee surgery and not able to get into the attic.  It was a pretty proud moment for him and me when the electrical inspector came through and commented on how everything looked great and how the wiring was neatly fastened above and beyond code requirements. Again, my dad seeing to it that things were done right and trying to pass that trait on to us.

Although he spent a lot of full days working on his projects in retirement, retirement was still a dramatic decrease in work for my dad.  His perfect retirement day was having a project to work on without a deadline to complete it as he enjoyed the process.  This was in contrast to his working days as an electrician, which often started with a phone call before 6am from his boss Kirk to discuss his day.  Kirk called him his right hand, and always knew a job was in good hands with dad.  Although dad was proud of the work he did with his hands, as we got older he spoke of his tired body and especially sore knees from his physical work and encouraged us to work as much as we could with our minds. For me personally, he inspired me to do what I do today.  In high school he started sharing his 401(k) statements and had me invest my earnings from summer work to learn about the market.  In addition he also did everything he could financially to make these dreams possible.  He started working a 2^nd job delivering pharmaceuticals to nursing homes a few nights and weekends.  These affectionately named “drug runs” meant he was leaving home at 6am arriving home at 4pm to have an early dinner with his family and leaving again from 5pm to 11pm.  This work ethic put three kids through private colleges without any student loans and had enough to assist each of us with our down payment on our first houses.

His work ethic provided for all of us and allowed my mom to stay home, but it was accentuated with his financial wisdom, meaning he was frugal and what he earned went a long way.  We were never lacking anything growing up and were even spoiled to each have our own car.  This was helpful with all the sports, activities and jobs, but it was double edged sword as his knowledge of cars also meant he kept them running past their prime.  Our 1979 olive green and rusty Buick Century was pretty easy to spot in 1995, but it still ran well.  Before computerization he was able to fix just about anything in any car, but as he learned to care for a car, he was smart enough to find another matching car to keep from having to learn additional maintenance.  That led us to having a fleet of Plymouth Reliant cars at one time having a 1986, 87 and 88 including two white sedans and a gold station wagon.

Although he most easily expressed his love through his actions and his words were few, they were always important.  If something was troubling us mom would actively listen ask questions and help us list pros and cons of every alternative.  Dad would listen, but his advice rarely changed from we love you, we support you and you will make the right decision.

As I became a dad, it was even more evident how much my dad gave and how selfless he was because our need for his help increased.  We all found so much comfort knowing that whatever we needed that all we had to do was to ask him and he would be willing to do it, and often times the asking part was not even necessary.  When Krista went back to work in January after Henrik’s birth our daycare did not have a spot for Henrik until May.  We found a nanny we liked that could do 3 ½ days per week and my parents volunteered to take the other days.  With my mom still being active volunteering her availability was a bit limited, but my dad said no problem he would take care of Henrik.  Henrik was colicky and after about two weeks the nanny said the 3 ½ days she was watching Henrik was too much for her, but quickly we had the usual response when in need of help, my dad would do it. He even told my mom that with more time he was going figure out Henrik and how to keep him happy and napping.  He definitely did that and as some of you know Henrik is now 14 months and has only slept through the night twice, so we liked to tease dad that he spoiled him so much as every nap with Papa got to be in his arms.  Dad held him for hours, just a Papa admiring his grandson snuggled in his arms. 

It is one thing for a Papa to watch his grandson, but my dad also did similar care for his mother in law and his own mother.  When his mother in law was no longer able to care for herself, but still wanted to stay at home, my dad moved into her house near Madison for 6 weeks to care for her around the clock until she passed away.  And for his own mother, when she was no longer able to live on her own, my dad visited her every day.  She was also having memory lapses and would call up to 10 times per night for a few years to ask where she was and when she would be going home to the farm. My dad would answer each call as if it was the first time she had asked and explain that she was living by us and that she was home and everything was being taken care of for her.

My dad almost always kept in emotions in check, but once a year on Christmas we had a tradition prior to opening gifts of passing a candle around to give each person a chance to share what they were thankful for.  This was the one time a year dad could not keep his emotions in and would get a tear in his eye and a quiver in his voice as he shared how thankful he was for his wife Becki, his children and their spouses and his grandchildren.  Another tradition that started more recently was the kissing hand.  Earlier this summer my son Cal was transitioning to a new class and was now clinging to Krista or I at drop off and his only explanation was that he missed his mom and dad when we left.  Krista’s mom Vicki gave us a book called The Kissing Hand about a mother raccoon taking her son to school and kissing his hand.  That kiss would be with him no matter what and whenever you feel lonely just press the kissing hand to your cheek and you will be filled with warm thoughts.  So each day we gave Cal his kissing hand and a sticker that came with the book.  A week or so later Cal came home with his sticker taped to his shirt with packaging tape and we decided it was time to get a stamp that would not get lost and could be replaced.  My parents knew this story and I was retelling it to my brother the day we received the informal diagnosis in early November that it was likely Mesothelioma.  I was struggling with the emotions that we might not have much time with left with my dad and that anytime I left might be the last time I see him and that I would miss him.  Just like Cal I told my dad I needed a kissing hand from him. Cal started giving him kissing hands when we would leave and gave him a Kissing Hand sticker when he visited Papa in the hospital.  Maria and Teresa had their own Kissing Hand tradition that they gave to each other each night and at the bus stop so they joined right in on the kissing hand and soon my dad was giving kissing hands to everybody as they said goodbye.  As this has meant a lot to us over the past few weeks we have Kissing Hand stickers if you would like to take one with you today.

After the prognosis continued to worsen and the decision was made to allow dad to just be comfortable. We had a great day with all of us together in the hospital, sharing stories and memories and telling dad how much we loved him and how much he meant to us.  I stayed overnight with him and for my dad not to protest and tell me to go home he had conceded he had passed along his stubbornness to us and was happy to have someone with him.  That night as I sat next to him while he slept and just held his hand, a few times came up where I needed my hand back.  As I slowly took it back he squeezed harder on my hand and then when I would try again and he would turn to me smile and go back to sleep.  He slept more and more on Wednesday night as my brother and sister stayed with him overnight.  And my dad in his last selfless act waited for me and my mom to arrive to say our final goodbye in person and passed to allow us to have everyone together for Thanksgiving dinner and create Thanksgiving as our special time to be with each other and remember him.

Through this whole process of doctor appointments and hospitalization and his passing it was good to see so much of my dad and be reminded of the person he was, being able to tell him how much we love him, being able to see his legacy present in our family and being reminded of my dad in the caring actions and words of our friends and family.  With families of our own it is just not possible to consistently spend as much time with our parents as we might like, but the past month was a gift being able to see him so much and in the day to day of life.  Until my dad was no longer able, he thanked every nurse or doctor that came into his room for their care.  He even told a physician’s assistant at urgent care that he would go to the emergency room to make her feel better when she told him she would feel like she was not doing her job if she could not convince him to go to the emergency room. The man that was so used to taking care of everyone else before himself was so gracious in receiving help when he needed it and was so appreciative.  My dad’s legacy of selflessness was present in my mom being with him for every doctor appointment and by his side for a month straight.  It was in my sister, brother and I in making sure dad was never by himself and spending countless hours in the hospital and every night to allow my mom to get some rest at night, but still be comfortable that someone was with him.  It is in our spouses, Krista, Lisa and Troy were there to support us emotionally and to take on extra duties with kids to allow us the time with our dad and even making Thanksgiving dinner. Our local in-laws, were on call to help out when needed with extra kid help and Thanksgiving help and the outpouring of support in visits, calls, texts, emails, food, flowers from family and friends helps remind us that all these acts are what my dad would have done for others in the same situation. 

Every day I think of him I am reminded how selfless and gracious he was and to strive for those qualities in myself and to teach and model those qualities for our kids as he has done for us.  The best compliment I can give is to tell someone they remind me of my dad and best compliment I can hope to receive is that I remind someone of him.  I know I will be sad as I miss my dad, but I am thankful he was my dad, and as Cal has reminded me when I am sad, I still have his kisses and he is in my heart and in heaven still watching over us.

Happy First Birthday, Calvin Jack!

Dear little Cal,

You drifted off to sleep in my arms on a snowy Valentine's Sunday. I quietly transferred you to your crib as we often do because naps just aren't your thing. You are way too busy, curious and social to choose a nap over playtime! I was about to start picking up the toys scattered around our house and begin organizing for your big one year birthday party but instead, I decided to write you this note. I know you won't remember your first Birthday but in the future, I want you to be able to read about how special this milestone was for me.

They say the first year of a baby's life flies by so I made a promise early on to try and not miss the little things. Some days and nights were hard. My heart ached whenever you cried, my blood pressure rose whenever you got sick and worried thoughts consumed me whenever we first separated. But no matter how long the night was, you always woke up with an infectious smile that could make even a pre-caffeinated sleep deprived mom smile.

Our first 3 months together will always be some of my most cherished memories. Occasionally we didn't leave the house but rather snuggled for hours while you nursed or slept (in my arms since naps in the crib were rare). We joined Amma Mammas and met some amazing moms that together helped me feel brave enough to explore the world as a pair. I took you to baby yoga and even at 3 months you giggled at all my stretches. We went to the zoo on playdates and met dad for lunch. He missed you but always checked in on us and snuck home for lunch when he could. You traveled to DC for a wedding and met all of your Vanek relatives. In October Grandma Vicki and I took you to LA to see uncle Dave and the ocean. You were a angel of a travel companion other than the trip home when you had a cold, pink eye and decided to cry the whole flight.

My little Calvin you are so loved and not just by your mom and dad. You bring so much joy to our whole family and to those you meet. "School" always gives us the sweetest reports and funny stories about your adventurous personality.  You are giggly and happy. Inquisitive and aware. You like to stay busy running around (yep you started walking last month) the kitchen island playing your push cart music and occasionally stopping to wave and dance. You love being around people and turn in to quit a ham when you know others are watching. Bath time is always a hit and cheerios are sure to cheer you up if you do decide to be a little grumpy.

Papa Greg summed it up best by saying, "I never smile more than when I am with Calvin." Thank you for reminding me every day what really matters in life and for showing me how to accept a little bit of chaos in my routine. Thank you for making me a mother because it truly is the best gift one could ever receive. Seeing your dad become a father reiterated how loving, kind and faithful he is as a husband. My little son, we promise to do our best to teach you to love others and be fearless but thoughtful. Calvin, you truly make every day my favorite day.

 

My Introduction to Motherhood

My previous post on February 20th happened to be the same day we met our little baby Calvin. I was not feeling great that morning and thought I was coming down with some sort of flu bug. I had finally decided to stop trying to "self induce" by walking the treadmill, bouncing on the yoga ball and testing out all the old wives tales. I asked if Dan wanted to meet me at noon for lunch at Whole Foods and immediately upon perusing the deli counter, I was hit with my first REAL contraction. I knew this one was not like the others and told Dan that we had to go home. But then the pain stopped and I felt okay so I changed my mind and started looking for my lunch. This happened about 2-3 more times before I finally told Dan that I officially had to leave but still wanted him to grab me a Jamba Juice.

I had driven separately and I think Dan secretly thought this was another false alarm so we both decided it was safe to just meet each other at home. During my 1.5 mile drive home, I had two contractions that probably could have caused an accident (warming- don't drive while in labor!). I knew Dan would be a few minutes behind me so I immediately called my mom when I got home- as if she might be able to ease the pain over the phone. At this point, the contractions were strong, every 3-4 minutes and lasting about a minute so I knew we had to get to the hospital soon even though I had imagined laboring for hours at home. When Dan got back with the Jamba Juice in hand, I told him to get the bags in the car and be ready to leave. He was moving WAY to slow so my tone might have shifted to be a bit more demanding.

On the drive to Fairview Southdale, I remember feeling like Dan was going over every possible pothole and told him to take a different route! We got to the hospital at 2:00 p.m. and checked in to the maternal assessment room to see if I was truly in labor. It didn't take them long to realize I was and that things were progressing really fast. By the time I walked down the hall, I was already dilated from 4 to 5cm. I got an epidural and was SO relieved to finally take a deep pain-relief breath around 4:30 pm.

Details between the hours of 4:30-9:58 are better told in-person (wink faced emoji inserted here)

Calvin Jack Gustafson was born that night, February 20th at 9:58 p.m. My first words after his birth were "cry little guy cry" as I eagerly waited to hear his first breath and healthy lungs. If I close my eyes now, I can still feel the warmth of his little body against mine and tears dripping down my cheek as I studied every little inch of our baby Cal. I can recall my first look into Dan's eyes that communicated our immense joy for our new family of three.

The following few days getting to know our little baby involved every possible emotion. SO much love also brought worry, anxiety, happiness, vulnerability and exhaustion. We struggled in the beginning with breastfeeding and now I feel like I could write a whole book just on my journey lactating (not that anyone would want to read it)! Fortunately, I was surrounded by my amazing husband, mom, dad, in-laws, family and friends to help reassure me that I was good enough to provide this little guy with all he needed.

Little burp face

I am not one to sugar coat things and could also write a few chapters about all the things that surprised me after birth. Not sure why so much focus is on creating a birth plan when really it is a postpartum survival plan that is most important. But, like other moms, we soon forget the delivery and postpartum challenges because enormous love has that effect.

Sleep when the baby sleeps

First day at home

11 weeks later and SO in love with baby Cal

The last 11 weeks have truly been a blessing. Some nights I get excited for him to wake up just so I can hold him and see his smiles (but NEVER wake a sleeping baby because sleep is SO priceless). Watching Dan read to Cal, exchange smiles and sway in the moby melt my heart. Seeing our parents fall in love with Cal and the joy he brings into their lives gives grandparenting a whole new meaning to me.

This weekend we celebrated motherhood and I got a chance to both honor my own introduction into this lifelong adventure, as well as thank my mother for all the love, joy, sacrifice, selflessness and kindness she has shared with me. I am humbled by my new role as a mother and will continue to thank god for giving us the privilege to be parents.

Mother's Day Weekend Trip to the MN Zoo! 

My first Mother's Day 

Mill City on Mother's Day

Cal, farmers market and scones= LOVE

Surprise Mother's Day visit with Grandma Vicki

Surprise Mother's Day visit with Grandma Rebecca 

False alarm- uncensored

We had our 40 week appointment on Wednesday. The doctor gave us her standard response which usually includes awkward sensory words to describe my cervix like stretchy, soft and ripe. Baby's heart rate sounded good and I was still measuring 2 cm and 80% effaced. After listening to what sounded like the previous weeks updates, she then started to talk about being induced. I have such mixed feelings about being induced and although I am starting to feel desperate for this little guy to be born, I worry about induction. I am not excited about having my water artificially broke and wanted to avoid pitocin if possible because that can snowball into other issues. However, I don't want to birth a 10 lb baby and know that I am going to have to trust the doctors recommendations. Before leaving, I got a membrane sweep (cervix scraped) which is as uncomfortable as it sounds. The doctor said this can help induce labor and to expect a little cramping.

At about 1:00 a.m. Thursday morning, I woke up with contractions. They were stronger than the braxton hicks I had been getting but still not strong enough to call the doctor. I began timing the contractions and between 1-4 a.m. they averaged 40 seconds long and 8-10 minutes apart. Then around 4 a.m they slowed down and I slept a bit before waking up at 5:00 when I decided to walk on the treadmill. Everything I was reading was telling me to keep moving, walk and stretch. So I did and the contractions started up again. This on and off again pattern continued all morning. I finally called the nurse in the early afternoon and she was very helpful. She told me that I needed to rest, take a bath and conserve my energy because it was most likely going to be a long journey ahead. She sounded pretty confident that I would continue to progress and even had my charts sent over and said she would keep an eye out for me coming in later in the night.

So, I took a bath, rested and tried to just let my body tell me what to do. After dinner Dan and I watched another movie (we have seen so many movies lately) and during the 1 1/2 I had a few contractions. They were the kind that feel like bad menstrual pain that requires tylenol to focus but not the kind of contractions that send you to the hospital. I tried to explain that to Dan but just have no reference for helping him understand what this all feels like.

I feel been feeling a bit discouraged and frustrated so Dan and I talked about all the positives to keep things in perspective. I also read a few online "What to Expect" messages from the February message board. I haven't found this message board all that helpful in the past but this time it was really helpful to read about other moms having similar experiences. Some wrote about 2-3 days of this pattern or even going to the hospital and being sent home. They talked about feeling embarrassed for thinking it was "time" or bad for family and friends that are also pending on baby's arrival. If anything, reading other mom's testimonies reminded me that this whole experience is unpredictable, out of my control and unique to each mom.

I have put myself out of my comfort zone many times. I remember surrendering all control when I arrived at my tiny Peace Corps village with no established place to live, little Spanish and complete culture shock. I know that when I ventured down to get my MBA in Georgia, I had to again, allow myself time to adjust, surrender a little control and remind myself that it will all work out as is should. Perhaps this is just another test getting us ready for the unpredictability of parenthood. After all, I have never heard a mom say pregnancy, birth or parenthood was easy but they all do say it is worth it!

So, counting my blessings this morning and finding time to regroup, re-energize and relax.

Positives to focus on

• Pregnancy isn't a permanent condition and no matter what, he is coming out by next wednesday
• I am healthy
• Baby appears strong and healthy
• My body IS preparing and doing what is supposed to do before birth
• I have an incredible support system of family, friends and co-workers cheering for us 
• We are pregnant and get to be parents
• I get to meet Dan for lunch today (but that does mean getting out of my pjs)
• We might have another baby-free weekend and Dan sees this as a chance to paint the basement (not sure this is a positive in my mind)
• I get to rest and catch up on lost sleep 

What to do when you hit 40 weeks!

We are coming up on 40 weeks this Tuesday. We have had our bags packed and everything ready to go for the last few weeks since the doctor said "any moment now!" Lie! I have been 80% effaced (out of 100) and 2 cm. (out of 10) dilated since our week 38 appointment.

40 Weeks on Tuesday! 

People keep saying that we should enjoy the down time and relax. I don't disagree- that sounds great but with each passing day I am getting a little more impatient and anxious. Over these last few weekends we have walked Ikea, Mall of America, Costco and Babies R Us several times to help move things along but also to distract ourselves and avoid sitting at home staring at our packed bags and empty nursery. I know its best for baby to reach full term and now we have so I would appreciate him to come soon! 

I told Dan today that we should have picked up a new hobby to master this month since our usual pastime of running is not as appealing. He was sick with the stomach flu this week (not fun!) and I am content with walking being my exercise.

My mom cooked a ton of meals for us to eat after baby arrives (we might sneak one before then!) so cooking isn't on my to do list. However, I did decided to bake a few things this weekend. I made Dan chocolate covered peanut butter truffles and made myself lactation cookies to increase my milk supply once baby arrives.  

I researched a ton of lactation cookie recipes and the ones that looked the best required baking. I didn't think that made sense because the research showed that the brewers yeast dies when cooked above 100 degrees. I am sure baked cookies would still have some of the nutrients but most blogs (not a lot of science out there on this topic) said the raw cookies were more effective. Dan and went to one of our many neighborhood brew shops to learn more and I asked one employee if he could guide me in the right direction for which kind of yeast would be best for lactation cookies. I am pretty sure I am the first person to ever ask him that question and still not sure he even understood what I was asking. Dan hung back a little and I heard him laugh a few times at the awkwardness of my inquiry. Anyway, I found some brewers yeast and decided to go with a no-bake recipe just to be on the safe side. 

Baking lactation cookies! 

Getting the ingredients ready for the cookies 

Used the Vitamix to grind up the oats, chia and almonds

I pretty much made up the recipe based on the Urban Tour post run cookies we have weekly. The recipe included the following but measurements are not exact. 

2 C ground oats

2 Tbs. ground chia seeds

1/2 C ground almonds 

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbs Brewers yeast 

3/4 C applesauce

1 1/2 C peanut butter
1/2 C sugar

Stir in Chocolate Chips, Rice Krispies and a whole oats until the texture looks right. Chill and store for baby feeding time.

Finished cookie/bars

I sampled them and thought they were pretty good but I bet this will be the only cookie Dan will not eat. Not that it has some weird female-only hormone injected into them but just because of the name. Works for me! 

Lastly, here is a little video that I thought I would never post because it is kinda creepy. Baby g is SOOOO active. This video doesn't even show the half of it. He is usually the most active at night and likes to push really hard on my bladder and ribcage. Yep, time for him to kick outside of my belly! 

Nursery!

Dear baby g,

You still don't have a name but you have a nursery! I spent lots of time trying to find just the right mix of patterns and decorations while dad spent weekends painting, hanging shelves, and assembling furniture. My favorite part about your nursery is that it is a collection of something old, something new and something borrowed (but no blue)! The crib you will sleep in has been borrowed from your cousins Timothy and Teresa. The skirt and pillows were handmade by grandma vicki and the little mobile I made months ago! My friend Gretchen sewed your little black and white blanket which coordinates perfectly with our geometric black and white theme (important details that may be more for mom than you!)The chair is new and I have a feeling we will have lots of time to bond and rock in it late at night while feeding or reading Dr. Suess books from grandpa Greg (or whatever name you two settle on).  The little animal photos are from our friends Aaron and Bryan- your dad really liked those since he is an animal fan as you will soon learn. The books are from a collection of amazing people who are also excited to meet you soon. Your uncle Dave got us a video monitor so we can spy on you and listen to your little baby sounds.

A cozy place that we hope mesmerizes you to sleep

So many books and stuffed animals from family and friends

A collection of my favorite nursery art

Baby moccasins- your first gift we bought on our anniversary trip up north

One of your first photos

Baby supply station

Our glider where we may spend many hours

And, if you are afraid to sleep alone in your nursery, we have a little co-sleeper for you. You could sleep in it in our bed but that sounded like a crowded mess so grandpa Ken made a little stand for the sleeper to sit next to the bed or move into the living room. According to my latest read on sleep habits, you can co-sleep without creating bad sleep habits until around 6 weeks and then we need to help you learn to self-soothe or all three of us might never sleep.

Grandpa Ken's bassinet stand design with storage! 

In addition to your nursery, we got your stoller assembled, car seat installed (gift from G&G Ken and Rebecca), and lots of swings and toys handed down from the Gustafson cousins! All of your clothes, linens and baby shower gifts have been washed and folded for you to pee on!

So, as you can see, we are as ready as we can be for your arrival. No rush....but it might be in our best interest if you come before week 41 because after that the doctor will start doing unpleasant things to get you out.

Lastly, I can tell you that your mom and dad already love you more than we could have imagined. My eyes tear up when I think of all the love and laughter you will share with us over the years. I know there will be hard days to come and when those days arrive, I will remind myself that it is temporary. We are so excited to meet you and pray you arrive healthy and strong. I have some birthing goals and everyone tells us to just be flexible but that is not one of my top 10 traits. However, the main goal is that you arrive with a powerful cry, robust lungs and a healthy heart. Also, your uncle Dave doesn't want to share his birthday but Grandma Rebecca, Broder and St. Valentine are okay sharing. However, I think you should come on the 6th so Dave learns to share.

We love you and see you soon!!
Mom and Dad

Baby g's Shower

This post is long over due! Our baby shower was January 10th and hosted by my aunt Leslie and mom. It was such a fun way to celebrate and so special to have so many people there to support us as our family of two soon becomes three!

The baby shower crew did such a great job decorating, coordinating food and making it a great party and special memory for Dan and myself.

Adorable decorations! 

Incredible hosts! 

It was a couples shower so we didn't do the typical shower activities but rather had a delicious taco bar, happy hour drinks and one icebreaker game. The game was fun and I saved our answers to look at years from now!

1. What is baby g’s due date? (Feb. 17th)
2. What did Krista crave most during pregnancy? (Salt and Vinegar chips, Ravioli, Summit)
3. What has been Dan's favorite part of the pregnancy? (Feeling baby g kick)
4. What color is the nursery? (Grey, black and white)
5. What is Dan most afraid of when caring for a baby? (spit up)
6. What will be one of Krista’s best parenting traits? (Vicki said it is Krista's sense of adventure)
7. What will be one of Dan’s best parenting traits? (Rebecca listed his caring, kind, thoughtful....)
8. What fruit or veggie is the baby this week? (pineapple)
9. One trait you hope baby g gets from Dan (patience according to Krista)
10. One trait you hope baby g gets from Krista (kindness according to Dan)
11. What strange keepsake does Krista want from birth (encapsulate placenta)
12. What hobby will Grandpa Ken teach baby g? (Wood working)
13. What activity will Grandpa Greg teach baby g? (water skiing)
14. What activity is Dan excited to teach baby g? (Hockey)
15. Where will Krista and Dan take baby g for Saturday lunch? (Costco)
16. Was baby g’s first athletic shirt Badgers or Gophers? (Gopher jersey)
17. What did Krista make for baby g? (mobile)

It was so nice to have a mix of friends and family at the shower. My college roommates, Amy and Megan, drove from Wisconsin as did my aunt, uncle and cousin. 

Mom, Cousin Emily, Me, Aunt Amy, Cousin Meghan

I also loved seeing all the other baby bumps at the shower! Only captured two of the many bumps! 

Friend Gretchen pregnant with a baby boy! 

Friend Jen- baby Reece is now 2 weeks old! 

Dan and I are so thankful for all the nice gifts and blessed to have such a supportive circle of friends and family. I admit I am getting nervous for this next phase and start of parenthood but knowing there are a lot of people I can call for non-judgmental, caring and helpful advice is comforting. Today I am almost 38 weeks and can't believe we are going to be parents any day now.

Additionally, Friday afternoon my incredible co-workers also hosted a bowling party/baby shower for me. My Community Education family has been so supportive and I appreciate their excitement and understanding as I waddle around the office! Can't wait to introduce baby g to my colleagues!

MCE baby bowling shower! 

#surreal #readyornot